Beautifully Decorated Holiday Cookies from Emma’s Cake Studio
Get ready to deck the halls (and your dessert table!) with these Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies from Emma’s Cake Studio. 🎅💚 Buttery, soft sugar cookies topped with smooth royal icing and a sprinkle of festive joy these are the cookies everyone will be talking about this holiday season. Perfect for baking with family, gifting to friends, or adding sparkle to your Christmas party spread. Easy to decorate and even easier to devour, they’re your go-to festive favorite for a sweet, handmade touch this season. ✨🍪
⏱️ Time Breakdown
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chill Time: 30 minutes
- Bake Time: 10 minutes
- Decorating Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Servings: 24 cookies
📝 Ingredients List
For the Sugar Cookies:
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional for a festive aroma)
For the Royal Icing:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1½ tablespoons meringue powder
- 2½ tablespoons water (adjust for consistency)
- Green gel food coloring
- Edible gold or silver pearls, sprinkles, and edible glitter for decoration
✨ Kitchen Tools You’ll Need
This recipe doesn’t require fancy gadgets, just a few reliable kitchen basics to keep everything simple and stress-free.
- Mixing bowls
- Electric mixer or hand whisk
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Rolling pin
- Christmas tree cookie cutter
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Piping bags and small round tips
- Cooling rack
👩🍳 Step-by-Step Beginner-Friendly Instructions
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla, and almond extract.
- Mix dry ingredients: In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to the wet mixture until a dough forms.
- Chill the dough: Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes this helps cookies hold their shape. ❄️
- Roll and cut: On a floured surface, roll out dough to ¼-inch thickness. Cut out Christmas tree shapes and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets. 🎄
- Bake: Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 8–10 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden. Cool completely on a rack.
- Prepare icing: Mix powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water until smooth and glossy. Adjust consistency with water (for flooding) or sugar (for outlining). Tint icing green.
- Decorate: Use piping bags to outline and flood cookies with green icing. Add sprinkles, pearls, and edible glitter while icing is still wet.
- Dry & serve: Let cookies dry completely before stacking or packaging.
Pro Tips
- Perfect texture: Chill dough before baking to prevent spreading.
- Easy decorating: Use a toothpick to smooth icing or add fine details.
- Storage: Keep cookies in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
- Gift idea: Stack a few cookies in clear bags tied with red ribbons for festive homemade gifts!
Nutrition Table
| Serving Size | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Fiber | Sugar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cookie | 135 | 1g | 18g | 6g | 0g | 10g |